The Double Hour (Giuseppe Capotondi, 2009): Italy

Reviewed by Tim Lopez. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

Italian director Giuseppe Capotondi serves up a thrilling and psychologically complex story in his feature debut, The Double Hour. Capotondi entertains a variety of genres in this 2009 film, including classic film noir and romance, with plenty of thrills and strong characteristics of horror. Built around the idea of possible alternate realities, The Double Hour offers its audience both a diverse blend of genres and some beautiful cinematography.

Sonia, a quiet and restrained hotel maid, has just moved to Italy from Eastern Europe. While on the job, she finds herself witness to a terrible suicide when a woman staying in the hotel leaps from a window of the room she is cleaning. Shortly after, Sonia brings herself to a speed dating dinner seemingly in hopes of meeting someone. She piles her check list with “no’s” until a charming Italian man named Gudio takes a seat. Their conversation is short but the attraction for one another is immediate.Their relationship strengthens as they spend more time together, admitting to each other that they are both looking to fill some void in their lives. All is well in their relationship until Guido decides to take Sonia to the estate where he works as a security guard. A planned heist of the estate results in the murder of Guido and a severe injury to Sonia. From here, the story shifts from a romantic tale of strangers to a supernatural thriller. Sonia tries to hold on to her sanity while shifting back and forth from between different realities. The presence of Guido’s ghost and a series of peculiar events force Sonia to take a second look at her life, or at least the life she thinks she’s living.

Capotondi’s film moves along swiftly thanks to a complex narrative and brilliant acting from both leads. Kseniya Rappoport does an excellent job portraying Sonia and her performance is well worthy of the Volpi Cup award she received for Best Actress in Venice two years ago. Filippo Timi gives an equally beautiful performance opposite Rapporport as Gudio. He was also nominated for a Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. The two of them together create a chemistry that seems as real as any relationship I’ve seen on screen. This sets the tone for a genre blending thrill ride with artistic film making that only certain film enthusiasts could appreciate. In one instance viewers find themselves admiring the beautiful imagery captured by Capotondi but in another instance its the suspense and curiosity that the viewer cannot ignore.

When the credits roll on The Double Hour, the audience finds itself sympathizing with Guido while trying to understand the mindset of Sonia. I will not give anything away but the by the film’s end the two characters find themselves where they began, trying to fill some unknown void in their lives.